Saturday, September 30, 2006
Mayor misinformed on Oro division: Senator
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Mayor Vicente Emano was misinformed when he issued statements of a bill pending at the Senate that included the division of Cagayan de Oro City into two cities, which would spell losing P50 million in Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
Mindanao Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who is also the principal author of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, issued this statement.
"Emano is saying things he does not really know," Pimentel said after the dinner he sponsored for those who took the 2006 Bar Examinations from Cagayan de Oro City and Bohol Province.
Earlier, Cagayan de Oro city lone Representative Constantino Jaraula said there was no move for the splitting of Cagayan de Oro into two cities and losing P50 million in IRA but only a move to divide the city into two legislative districts.
Pimentel explained that the bill pending at the Senate is the one that moved for the creation of 24 new cities in the entire country, which includes even the conversion of Municipality of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental into a city.
He said though the creation of the 24 cities bill now lodged at the Senate does not include the splitting of Cagayan de Oro into two cities, still it will be affected.
"Cagayan de Oro city's IRA, like that of the other cities in the entire country will be lessened," he said. "This is disadvantageous to our cities as their IRA share will be lessened by P80 million each this is why we are not amenable to this move."
Pimentel explained that the Local Government Code provides that all local government units from Provincial Government to barangay are allocated shares of the proceeds of the national taxes.
He said the code provides that the criteria for sharing of local government units' allotments are: provinces, 23 percent; cities, 23 percent; municipalities, 34 percent; and barangays, 20 percent.
Also, every province, city, or municipality gets a definite share of the internal revenue taxes pursuant to the following criteria: population, 50 percent; land area, 25 percent; and equal sharing, 25 percent.
"So the creation of these new cities will affect Cagayan de Oro city and the other local governments in the entire country," said Pimentel. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
(September 30, 2006 issue)
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